Due: By 9am on Monday 14 September 2015 You are an analyst for the US Department of State tasked with providing a strategy on ways in which the United States can improve relations with Iran. You have been asked to explore political and economic options and to recommend a 5 year plan with realistic milestones. In completing this assignment, you must remember to: Keep in mind the perspective of the United States Adhere to the USA's general policies towards Iran and the region (including the long-term relationship with Israel) Be realistic about what the USA and (other parties) would be willing to undertake from a foreign and domestic point of view. (e.g. recommending selling missile technology to Iran or abandoning support for Israel would be improbable) Political and economic approaches can include ideas on diplomatic engagement, security, education, democracy promotion, regional partnerships and unilateral or multilateral initiatives.​ The options (and their number) are up to you to choose/develop but you should provide a balance between the political and economic in your approach. For example, a range of economic plans is not going to be workable without political engagement to support them. A traditional essay style is not required for this assignment, though you must still provide evidence for your arguments and you should present your briefing paper in an appropriately formal style. There is no specific format for a briefing paper. You will see from DFAT examples that even within the same organisation there can be differences in the way an analyst puts together a briefing. You may use sections, sub-headings and bullet points. You may even use graphical objects such as charts and graphs. However, be sparing with these, because ultimately we want you to produce a piece of persuasive writing, not a monthly sales report. The tone of the briefing paper should be formal. Remember, this briefing paper may end up before the Secretary of State or even the President. An example from another unit This was submitted by a student in AIE364 and received a High Distinction. Students should observe the following points when preparing their paper: Submission via the Briefing Paper Assignment Dropbox on CloudDeakin ONLY. Word length must be strictly observed (3000 words). (This total does not include your bibliography or footnotes and a ±10% margin is acceptable.) You should use at least ten sources and cite them. Use the Oxford system of referencing with footnotes. For assistance with Oxford referencing see Use direct quotations sparingly and seek to outline ideas in your own words. Each paper must include a bibliography. DO NOT USE Cover Sheets. Please submit your paper as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) document. Other software such as Apple's Pages word processor cannot be read by the TurnItIn plagiarism system and are therefore not acceptable. Extensions will only be granted prior to the due date for legitimate reasons. Having other assignments due at the same time does not count as a legitimate reason for extension. Late submissions will be penalised at 5% of the total marks available per day. It is the student's responsibility to make sure that their assignment document has been successfully uploaded. If you are in doubt about whether the file was successfully submitted (eg. The connection seemed to time out or you got no TurnItIn report), contact your Sally by email straight away and she will be able to check. The use of other authors' ideas or words without acknowledgement (plagiarism) is unacceptable and will result in a failure for this piece of assessment. Plagiarism Declaration By using the online submission facility in this unit to submit your assignment you are certifying that the work is entirely your own (or where submitted to meet the requirements of an approved group assignment, is the work of the group), except where material quoted or paraphrased is acknowledged in the text. You are also declaring that it has not been submitted for assessment in any unit or course. Preparing your essay for submission: Ensure that your paper meets the Marking Criteria. Prepare your paper in Microsoft Word format. At the top of the first page of your paper, provide the following information: - Full name - Student number - Deakin email address - The essay question in full Ensure that the full text of your paper, plus the bibliography, is included in the file. You are now ready to submit your paper.